Amid Rumors, Whale Lose Thriller To Springfield, 3-2

HARTFORD — — It is no secret that the American Hockey League may leave Hartford.

The Connecticut Whale's contract at the XL Center ends after this season, and rumors already are circulating that the New York Rangers, the Whale's owners, are looking elsewhere, with Bridgeport rumored as a possibility.

But if the Whale's game against the Springfield Falcons was any indication, fans aren't exactly ready to say goodbye to professional hockey in Hartford again.

On Saturday, 16 years after the NHL left Hartford, the Whale drew a near-franchise-record 13,239 people for a thrilling 3-2 loss to Springfield.

It was the second-largest crowd for the franchise at the XL Center, behind the 14,115 fans who watched a Jan. 24, 1998, loss to Springfield.

The crowd, a loud and energetic mix of Cub Scouts, families and hockey fans, wasn't exactly disappointed by the play on the ice. Just the result.

"I was pretty pleased. I thought we played pretty hard all night long and the end there, the way they ratcheted it up was pretty good," Whale coach Ken Gernander said. "I thought maybe we didn't lose the game but we just ran out of time."

The Whale (20-21-4-1) struggled to finish early on and at the very end. That proved to be their undoing.

The Whale spotted Springfield three early goals and came just short of rallying to even the score.

Brandon Mashinter found the back of the net on a breakaway with 10:10 left, and forward J.T. Miller scored nearly 90 seconds later on a shot from below the hash marks that beat goalie Curtis McElhinney low on his blocker side.

But they couldn't find the game-tying goal — even though they almost had it. With 5:07 left, Blake Parlett hit the crossbar on a wrist shot from the point, and Kris Newbury was stopped with 18 seconds left on a shot to the near post.

In the first period, Connecticut (20-21-4-1) took the game to Springfield. They dumped the puck and they pressed, and it nearly paid off. But Springfield's McElhinney made four saves in the opening seven minutes to keep Connecticut off the board.

And with 11:52 left in the first period, those chances came back to sting the Whale when Tomas Kubalik rushed in from the right wing for a weak goal off the stick of goalie Cam Talbot.

With the momentum reversed, Springfield closed out the period with the better play.

The Whale regained momentum in the second period and for the first 10 minutes dominated play with several Grade-A chances, including a slap shot from Newbury and a one-timer from Thomas that missed the net high.

Once again the missed opportunities came back to bite them. With 6:31 left in the second period and Springfield on a 5-on-3 power play, Cody Goloubef scored on a slap shot from the point that beat Talbot on the blocker side. It was the lone shot of the power play for the Falcons.

Springfield made it 3-0 when Nick Drazenovic scored on a rebound goal with 15:28 left in the third.

"I'm really proud of the way everybody played," Miller said. "I thought we played really well, we battled back, we outfought them, we outbattled them, we outplayed them. We just couldn't score."

"I think it was bad fate," Miller added. "I don't think they deserved to win that game as much as we did."

"You have to give credit to the other team sometimes," Springfield coach Brad Larsen said. "They were battling hard, working hard and they made the plays. We just found a way to hold on there, get through and win in regulation."

For the Whale, the crowd was a nice distraction from the end result — and from the rumors that have been swirling this week.

Jim Schoenfeld, general manager of the Whale and a Rangers' executive, said last week that the organization is considering other options in the event that no new agreement with the XL Center is reached.

Glens Falls, N.Y., is considered a possibility, an AHL source has told The Courant.

There also is a rumor that the Rangers have targeted Bridgeport's Webster Bank Arena for its affiliate. There is evidence that people within company that operates that arena are planning for a possible future with the Rangers — Harbor Yard Sports & Entertainment has registered the domain names ctrangers.com and connecticutrangers.com. The domain names are registered through 2018.

Sound Tigers president Howard Saffan told The Courant Saturday that he was unaware of the domain names. "I don't [know about it] because I don't handle that end of our world," Saffan said.

Saffan dismissed rumors of the Rangers shifting to Bridgeport, citing the New York Islanders' lease at the Webster Brank Arena, which runs through 2021.

"Is Bridgeport a lot closer to New York or Greenburgh, N.Y. [where the Rangers train]? Of course it is," Saffan said. "Would it be a perfect fit for the Rangers? I believe so. Having said that, we have eight more years left here, and we're contractually bound."

Glens Falls is home to the Adirondack Phantoms, but that franchise will be moving to a new arena in Allentown, Pa., in 2014.

Schoenfeld, said, though, that the Rangers are open to remaining in Hartford and that the organization is waiting for the Capital Region Development Authority to choose an operator for the XL Center. The decision is expected by the middle of this week.